Dhow Palace Hotel

The Dhow Palace is a historic building in the heart of Stonetown and a 15 minute walk to almost anywhere in the old centre of the city, less if you don’t get lost. I have stayed there twice before and have always been impressed by the friendliness of the welcome and helpfulness of the staff. It is looking smarter than when I last stayed there and they have added a roof terrace, which I never got round to visiting. They have also expanded to create a set of apartments in a building 20 metres or so from the main entrance and I stayed in one because it offered much more space for roughly the same price. It consisted of a kitchen/lounge with a sink and a kettle but no other facilities for self-catering, a very large bedroom, and a decent sized bathroom with a magnificent shower set in an enclosed pedestal. The a/c was good and the only downside was that the windows overlooked what looked like a building site, although there was little evidence of work. I heard but did not see goats. Luckily the kids didn’t keep me up at night. I would recommend the apartments. They do not have quite the historic feel of the main building but that is more than compensated for by the extra space. The apartment building also features a fantastically ornate traditional door, complete with protruding studs which are apparently designed to deter charging elephants. As ever, the staff were outstanding, arranging an early check-in and retrieving a pair of bathing trunks which fell out of my window, where they were drying, onto an inaccessible roof.

Friendly helpful reception, accurate check in process. Room up to standard, clean and comfortable bed, mosquito net in good condition, clean bathroom in good condition. Fan and AC. Swimming pool small but very clean. Restaurant served a tasty and affordable tuna sandwich for a quick lunch. Location in the center, close to many restaurants for dinner.

The central location in Stone Town, the pleasant staff, the charm of the old building, yet with neat, clean touch points in my hotel Twin Room (#24), and the sparkling clean swimming pool.

A beautiful, classic and unique hotel in a convenient location to walk to shops, the waterfront and central Stone Town. The facilities are gorgeous and the breakfast buffet has an extensive mix of local and European offerings. The room we had was very large -- a 2-room suite and balcony looking onto a side street. Would highly recommend. Note that one should be able to walk up stairs to access this hotel best. The tub/shower combo was a gorgeous tiled masterpiece and the AC was welcomed.

It’s beautiful decor- it’s really lovely, great pool , excellent location - great food, Safe area, THE STAFF ARE AMAZING.